Question Number: 23682

Appearance 7/17/2010

Walt Heatherly of Hendersonville, TN USA asks...

I am in need of new ref shoes. Due to the fact that I wear a size 14 shoe, my options are fairly limited. If you were an assignor, assessor, etc. would you consider these shoes appropriate? My concerns were just that the color of them may not have as much black as they need.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The shoes should be predominantly black. That doesn't mean there can't be some color on the shoes. You may have to order from an online site which will have more inventory in larger sizes.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Walt An assessor will look at how a referee is kitted out and does his attire including ref shoes conform to the instructions issued to referees. Most black sports shoes have some colour with stripes etc yet they are predominantly black and that meets the requirement. I had occassion to buy a new pair recently and I removed the manufacturers logo which was for decoration only.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

I still own a pair of Adidas cleats that I painted the stripes black because I misunderstood the requirements for referees. It is ok if the logos (stripes/swoosh) are not black.

Almost every soccer cleat comes in black, and most running shoe brands (worn on my area's hard grass) have a few models that are predominantly black. Referees should not wear the white or brightly colored cleats favored by many players.

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